24 Hours
by Merebeth
Summary: It's only been 24 hours since the events of The Angels Take Manhattan. (The Doctor is written as female.) 11/River


_**AN: **The Doctor is female in this short story but it is still during the 11th cycle. Emilia Fox is the actress I imagine for fem-11._**  
**

**24 Hours**

Time was something that she knew. She knew time like she knew an old friend, she knew how it ticked, how special it was...but also how quickly it could turn. Time rarely turned its back on the Doctor...but in some rare moments, rare, unbearable moments...time betrayed her. A long silence had grown between the Doctor and her current guest in the TARDIS. The Time Lady sat on the steps, staring into space, her face emotionless while River continued to fly the TARDIS, moving around the consoles with ease.

The silence was not comfortable...both women were in pain but neither one of them dared to mention it. River was taking everything into her stride, remaining calm and in control...but the Doctor? The Doctor was broken. After what felt like forever, River finally moved from the consoles and slowly sat beside the Doctor on the steps, her hazel eyes gazing at the other blonde.

"Are you going to be alright on your own?" She murmured gently, moving to place her hand on top of the Doctor's. To begin with, she kept quiet before finally turning to look at River as if she'd just woken up from a dream. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. River clenched her jaw to stop her eyes welling up with tears, squeezing the Doctor's hand. "Doctor?"

"Yes." She managed to whisper out in return, her voice distant and lacking in its usual cheer. The agony was clear even in that one word...and that was almost enough to make River's heart stop. She knew that the Doctor was lying to stop her from worrying...River knew she wouldn't be okay on her own, not after all this time. What could she say that could possibly make her feel better? Nothing could heal the loss...it would take time and time was not on their side.

"Would you like me to stay with you? Just for a little while?" River moved her hand to brush away the loose stands of blonde hair that had fallen over the Doctor's eyes, gazing into her face...her beautiful face where a beaming smile so often laid rest...a smile that had since faded. The broken blonde opened her mouth again but no more words followed. She shut her mouth and instead managed a small nod, her face visibly paling, eyes filling up with tears. River moved to wrap her arms around the smaller blonde, her warm body holding her safe, gently moving her head to rest just under her chin. At first the Doctor just sat motionless in the embrace, but her body started to shake and within seconds of the comforting hold she started to cry.

"It's okay...it's going to be okay." River soothed, moving one hand to caress the Doctor's hair as she buried her face into River's neck. Sobs broke free from the smaller woman as she clung to River; her hearts were aching so badly she felt like she would die. The sound of the Doctor's agonizing cries was almost enough to break River, but she kept it together, holding her wife tightly, biting her lip as her own eyes glossed over.

For a while the two just sat together on the steps, one woman howling in pain the other silently suffering...both of them wishing they could have done something more. Eventually, the Doctor's sobs began to soften until the smaller woman was eventually just breathing heavily.

"My Amy the girl who waited...Rory...the patient centurion...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry." The Doctor whispered, her voice cracking as she spoke. River moved to place a soft kiss against the top of the Doctor's head, unlacing her arms from around her body. "They're gone, River." The two women slowly stood up and looked at each other, eyes locking into place. The Doctor could see tear tracks where River had also been weeping...and the sight caused pain to ignite inside her hearts once more. They were her parents...

"Yes Doctor...yes they are." Her voice was gentle as she gazed at her wife, both of them exhausted from their grieving. "But at the same time...they will never be gone. For as long as we live, they will live on inside us." River pressed her hand against the Doctor's cheek softly, wiping her thumb under her eyes where tears were still slipping free. Finally, after hours and hours, the Time Lady smiled. It was a delicate smile, a suffering smile, but a smile none the less.

"Melody Pond. They live in _you_." The Doctor stepped closer wrapping her arms around River's neck, pulling her into a hug. The smaller woman felt Melody shudder in her arms a long deep breath slipping free. In response, the Doctor gently rubbed her back, closing her eyes and resting her cheek against the side of River's head, nesting in her curls.

"Come on...let's get some rest." River whispered, sliding her hand into her wife's pulling her up the steps.

* * *

At first the Doctor had fallen asleep almost instantly, the long painful day finally taking its toll...but she did not remain asleep for long. The weeping angels haunted her dreams and she saw Amy disappear over and over again...she saw them topple from the building, she saw River leaving for the library...she saw her Ponds fall apart.

Suddenly she sat up straight in her bed, eyes snapping open, panting heavily, sweat trickling down her temple. She turned to glance at River who was asleep beside her, breathing softly with one hand extended towards the Doctor's side of the bed. Taking a deep breath, the blonde tried to calm down, leaning to kiss River's cheek softly.

She climbed from the bed carefully so not to disturb her wife, grabbing a thin, silk robe and pulling it over her body loosely. The Doctor moved down the steps from the bedroom, towards the TARDIS consoles where the blue box was whirring softly, as if snoring. She rubbed her hand over one of the consoles lovingly before moving to open the doors, staring out into the stars as they drifted peacefully through space.

The throb of pain returned to her hearts as she remembered holding Amy out into space. She remembered the amazed smile on the red-head's face, how her eyes lit up with awe from the moment and how it had taken her breath away. Lone tears slowly trailed down the Doctor's face as she took in the beautiful sight and thought of her friend...her beautiful friend.

"Amelia Pond..." She whispered into the stars, leaning against the door frame. "Your raggedy Doctor needs you." For a long while the Doctor just stood and watched time go by in front of her eyes until she felt a warm hand against her waist. Her wife moved sleepily to stand next to her, resting her head against the Doctor's shoulder. The blonde moved her arm around River, leaning her cheek against her messy curls.

"It's been twenty-four hours." River whispered softly, gazing out into the stars with the Doctor.

"A lifetime." She replied in a whisper.

"Two." River murmured back, feeling the Doctor squeeze her gently.

Twenty four hours was just the beginning...forever was waiting.


End file.
